The one where I decorate the copy machine

Everyone calls the copy machine the beast. Especially when it starts acting up and eating paper or has other issues. So I took a few seconds to do something I had always wanted to do...

Acosadora de una Famila

I thought it was very interesting (and not unusual) to see every member in this Peruvian family is touching the other, so like a family stalker, I snapped a quick photo of them. Sometimes, I still am shocked in this culture of always enough food, always enough space, always enough time for one more.

Where I live now

Click HERE to see an honest photo of my untidy and incomplete room. I am planning on doing a bit more to it when I have the time.

I love my little room and patio. Open the curtains of both windows and I have a panoramic ocean view and can hear the waves. My little place is one of the reasons I think I could stay in Peru for some time.

Thoughts of a Questioning Atheist

In the womb I sucked up the fluids of a drunkard mother, then bottle-fed on cheap beer till I could hold a cup of whiskey

without an experience of sobriety I grew

fading in and out of reality

is reality

so

I beg

the provider for more cheap wine

a slave to his freely given mercy so that I will never have a chance to look at myself in a mirror not dim

 

They say that a state of dryness does exist

that there is freedom for inebriated people like me

but is this the truth or is it merely another drunkards song?

Meaning behind Sunshine

The wonderful thing about my new room is I have a view of all the coast. Yesterday, sitting on my bed, I could see a glimpse of sun shining on the Islas Palominos, population 0. In Lima there are well over 8 million habitants who would all appreciate more sun in their lives this time of year.

Is that ironic or poetic?

What I have been working on...

I have given a name and logo and facebook home to our art and faith group. Its neat to see how connections between artists are already happening. See it on facebook here.

Opera update

I fixed the "night at the opera" post. If interested in seeing a bit of what I saw, go to this link. 

Labor Day

Today, Josue saw me laying out on my hammock and was walking around waiting for Nadia to get home so he stopped by. I put him to work by having him help me carry my laundry to be cleaned, by having him walk with me to the hardware store and then replace an outlet that I had broken. Later, Nadia and Josue invited me to come with them while Nadia used a groupon for her restaurant. On the way, I saw that we were passing the clay store that I would need to make a special trip for tomorrow, so I had them stop and had Josue help me carry two bags of clay I had borrowed.

We arrived at the restaurant and Josue and Nadia got out. Josue, instead of pulling the seat to let me out said in a straight voice, "Eden...quieres que abro la ventana o asi no mas?"

Translation: Eden, So you want me to open the window or just leave it as is when you wait in the car?

I deserved that for making him do so much extra work :) But he did pay for my meal in the end.

Pick up line of the week

Melina and I are walking down the street. From the corner, a guy standing with his younger friend yells for him, "Se llama Alejandro y esta de moda!" My translation: "His name is Alejandro and he's hot on the market!"

3 Peruvian Videos

3.

The song in this Peruvian commercial pretty much says "you shouldn't worry, you shouldn't worry, guinea pig, magic, guinea pig, you shouldn't worry, you shouldn't worry." Its about credit cards and their magical guinea pig like power to make money appear out of nowhere.

2.

This one should have taken place in Peru, Kansas.

 

1.

And finally, my personal favorite "the Peruvian Dream"

A night at the opera

I had recently heard that Lima’s National Theater was reopening and that Friday night was the inauguration day. I looked at the advertisement for the Opera with longing at one point, but its always better not to think about the things you can’t have, so I didn’t after that.

But, on Friday, when Cynthia casually said that she was given two free tickets and didn’t want them I jumped into action mode, went home, changed into something nice, and hopped into a taxi to get there on time.

I felt sorry for the wasted opera ticket. It would have enjoyed being in the hands of one of my family members but none were in Lima at the time. It would have fluttered with joy to be grasped by the fingers of my music loving friends, but by the time I had called them, they already had plans for the night.

This was my first opera, so I have nothing to compare the rendition of “Barber of Seville” to, but I was very impressed by the blend of instruments, singing, composition of music, backdrops, costumes, and props. There was a giant pair of scissors, a set of 4 fake fireworks that exploded throughout the whole theater, as well as a scene where someone is carried away up into the air while he is holding onto his umbrella. The storyline I wasn’t too impressed with (just your typical forbidden love story) but I don‘t know if the storyline ever gets much better than that in an opera.

One of the best parts was seeing all the rich people schmoozing around. The grand opening pulled them in like a weekend trip to Miami. I probably saw some famous Peruvians, or got in the background of their pictures.

I snuck around snapping photos of the elegant environment, but wasn’t too impressed. The fire that burned down the theater twelve years ago must have consumed the history the building had collected over the years.

During the intermission I got up. A group of old ladies would not move their legs to let me go by much, so I just lifted up my legs and walked over all of them wherever I could fit a foot in. The last old lady scolded me for it, “Here, I will get up for you, what you are doing is not at all appropriate!” So I guess next time I need to take my time and attempt to coerce the old ladies to move their legs as a Peruvian would rather than risk making myself a spectacle at the opera.

Real Life Joke

Miguel and Cynthia and I are sitting to eat and I go up to pick up one of the thin Peruvian napkins. I intend to use the thin napkin as toilet paper as I am thinking "no restaurant that is this cheap will have toilet paper."

Suddenly, the chinese-peruvian man who is in charge of the restaurant gets up to stop me from taking the napkin as he knows what I intend on using the napkin for.

What he wanted to say:

 "Solo son para usa de la casa" - "those napkins are only for the restaurant's use"

What he said:

"Solo son para usa de la picchi" - "those napkins are only for pee-pee use."

Every person in the restaurant, a very small, but popular place, hear it and start to laugh.

Later, when Miguel asks the waitress for more napkins, she hands them to him, giggling.

Unknowingly Shmoozing

My friend Cynthia is good friends with the dean of her university Priest Johan Huys Leuridan (photo here) . Recently, I also have started a friendship with the man. He likes talking philosophy which I wish I knew more of so I could enter into much more profound debates with him.

Today, we went to visit him and encountered a señora eating some of his stock of wine and cheese. He had us sit down, I tried to start a conversation:

Me: So, what have you been talking of?
Señora: Oh, we have been discussing politics.
Me: Oh. Well I suppose I will be useless to your conversation. I know nothing about the politics of Peru!

After we left...

Cynthia: Eden! Do you know who that woman was? She is the mother of the prime minister of Peru!

 

 

Parallel Blogging

Since Paul has been down, he has been blogging about my life so if you want to know what I have been doing I would look at what he has written.

As Paul mentioned in his blog, at one point we found ourselves making havoc one night in a small town in the mountains.

When we decide to search abandoned houses, Miguel pulls up to one that is less abandoned.

We try to stop him.

Eden: Um, Miguel, remember? This house isn't abandoned. I think there was someone living here from the last time you tried to break in.

Miguel: We have to make sure that the car is always in the position to drive off quickly...(he parks the car in flight position) Alright lets go.

We all get out of the car, hear dogs barking and then immediately all of us but Miguel get back in. Then, suddenly, out of nowhere, there is a really creepy guy looking right at us from the house. Everyone gasps in fright and Miguel runs back to the car.

Miguel: Shoot! A dead guy! Lets get out of here!

Cynthia: No, let me talk to him (she shouts from her window cheerfully) Hello! We were just wanting to know...is the house abandoned or is it enchanted?

Hooded man: (doesn't respond but shakes his head slowly)

Cynthia: Alright then lets go.

Miguel: Look! He vanished!

Sure enough, the hooded fellow has disappeared into the darkness as quickly as he came. We leave quickly and drive by a couple of people sitting on the side of the road.

Miguel: Good evening sirs, have you seen any dead people?

Finally, we get pack to the hotel. The door is locked so after uselessly knocking on the door Miguel finds a way to break in. While he is going through the secret passage he found, the hotel grounds keeper (who looks like a Peruvian Argus Filtch) finally opens up the door for us.

Argus Filtch: Why are you young people out so late? Its almost midnight?

Miguel: (comes up from behind the old guy) Yeah! Whats taken you guys so long? Where have you been?

The next day, we finally make it back to Lima. When we get into the car, Paul continues to read his fantasy novel called "the endless light" or something.

Cynthia: We have been in the world of the mountains, now we are in the world of Lima but Paul continues to be in the world of Fantasy light.

Life

is to stand with Him in front of the mirror, a canvas

to gaze at the beautiful creation we see

And to gaze at the Beautiful Creator who has made us so

a body His brush

blood His paint

 

Only in Peru 2

Afterward it was my job to help the 2nd and 3rd grade female performers put away their costumes. I took them up to the second grade room and suddenly was surrounded by little 7 and 8 year old girls in the nude. Some took a moment before dressing themselves to enjoy prancing around the classroom. I quickly tried to put an end to it.

Me: Kara! Get some clothes on!
Kara: But I can't! Jasmine is wearing my shirt!
Me: Jasmine, give back her shirt and get your own.
Jasmine: But her shirt won't come off! It's too small! HELP ME MISS PAGE ITS SUFFOCATING ME!

...pretty crazy, but I still don't think that this experience matched last years Peruvian Awareness scandalousness.

Letter from home

Mom sent me this bit of news through email today:

"Daddy preached sunday it was one of his better ones
tho it was r rated.He talked about sexuality, graphic depictions
of a birth And bastards all in one sermon."

Playland Park

[gallery]

I had a pretty amazing weekend when Lindsay came down to visit. Fun included in the Eden weekend package includes...

...touching seaweed and starfish

...flying around in Peruvian amusement park rides

...standing in line waiting to get on Peruvian amusement park rides

...making fun of and taking secret pictures of crazy latino hair

...eating supper with Peruvians obsessed with giving wet willies

Ferretería

means hardware store, not ferret store just so you know. If it did mean ferret store, you would be able to easily get the following novelty items for your hideous rodents anywhere in Peru:

Anyway, Dale and I were in a ferretería a few months back and spotted these interestingly labeled boxes.

We wanted to ask the owner what the boxes mean, but decided against it. You don't want to risk talking to a guy who just might sell halves of human body parts.

The art of driving like a jerk

is something I would like to learn as it is the only way you can drive in Lima, Peru.

A weekend ago, my new international drivers license close at hand, I attempted to make my way through the streets of Lima.

I learned that driving in Lima is just like driving in the states but for three differences:

1. Peruvians in cars are just like Peruvians in person – they don’t see personal space as something that should exist in our universe.

2. You must be rude or you will never get anywhere. You have to pull in front of cars even when it is their turn to go. You have to force people to slam on their breaks so that you can pass them. You can feel free to make a left turn while in the right lane, cutting off a whole line of cars wanting to go straight. When you have your hands on the wheel, you must become a ferocious driving animal, ready to stomp over all in your path.

3. You can’t trust anyone. Everyone is a possible threat to the wellbeing of your car so you must honk at every possible movement in your direction.

[caption id="attachment_648" align="aligncenter" width="350" caption=" Poor Cynthia didn’t know what she was getting herself into when she handed the keys of her bebe over to Eden. "][/caption]

My first go at it was a success I believe. I only almost got into one wreck.